Assam passes Bill on parental care

Makes marriage below 18 yrs non-bailable offense

Assam became the first state in the country to make it made it mandatory for sons and daughters in government services to look after their aging parents and disabled and unmarried siblings.

The Act, which was passed by the Assam Assembly on Friday, is called — the Assam Employees Parental Responsibility Norms for Accountability Monitoring Act, 2017 (Pranam Act, 2017).

Defining the Pranam Act, Assam finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Gradually, we also intend to bring PSUs and private sector employees under this Act.” The Act also empowers the aggrieved parents and siblings to lodge complaints against the children. “In the event of any person not obeying this, a complaint can be lodged in his/her departments that will hear both sides and make way for deducting 10-15 per cent salaries for parents or disabled siblings,” the Act has made this provision.

The departmental heads have been authorised to pass the order by hearing the appeal of both the parties in case of a dispute.

The Assam Assembly on Friday also passed a comprehensive “Population Policy”, which has made marriage below the age of 18 as a non-bailable offence besides making two children a norm mandatory in all sectors of the government.

“The two-children norms will also be applicable in employment generation schemes like giving tractors, providing homes and other government benefits. Those with more than two children will not be eligible for all government schemes. This norms will be applicable in panchayat, municipal bodies, autonomous councils like elections also,” the policy said. Mr Sarma said, “The population policy will come into effect only after service rules of all government departments will be changed.”

Mr Sarma said the population policy was necessary as some of the districts of the state registered very high population growth up to 25 per cent in 10 years whereas some of the districts dominated by indigenous people registered very low — only seven per cent population growth. “The growth was so alarming in some of the districts of Western Assam that it has started threatening the existence of indigenous people of the area.”